Revising Leg Day Goals

I'd like to say I'm completely recovered but fact is the sniffles linger longer than the actual illness itself. As the rain falls, the temperature drops from 50°F down into the 30s, making for much confusion. Today is Leg Day, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day of long travel and sumptuous feasting, only to return home late (dog will still need to be fed and walked) where we will not be able to sleep in but rather, travel distance again on Friday.

I'm late to the gym because I have errands to run beforehand, like putting gas in my car. The gas station is a zoo and the poor road visibility doesn't help at all. The gym actually isn't too crowded. I get on Precor #3 and punch in Interval 7 because that's what I normally do on Leg Day. My legs aren't actually sore, just tired. I'd thought that yesterday's Back Extensions would've had more of an impact considering it targets glutes and upper hams more than the actual lower back. I'm dragging, but I do make my quota so I'm pleased. And then I punch in another session at Interval 8. Because I probably won't be back here until next week. I have to drop the resistance from the default setting of 6 at the peak down to 5. It helps a little, but mostly I'm troubled by the ache in my palms, and the intermittent numbness in two or three fingers on my left hand. I suddenly remember that my brother's told me that he has gout, another inherited condition from my mother's side, and I wonder if I should mention this to my physician when I get around to scheduling an annual exam.

In total, I still log in over eight miles, but it was much harder this time. I could be sick, or it could be as inexplicable as those monthly hormones. I have no idea. I see a burly, thoroughly tattooed man in the Smith. I've seen him before enough to know that I'll just come back later. The Cage is free and I stretch my hamstrings and calves thoroughly before wandering back to the free weight area. Burly Tattoo has muddy tat sleeves on both hairy arms, and a big gym bag under the cardio platform railing. Damn it, I'm going to do Smith Squats and Smith SLDLs today even if I don't get around to anything else. I don't even care if I don't get to abs (they're actually a tad sore today and I'm amazed).

Again, my first two really light sets are performed as fast as I can go, as deep as I can go (Butt to Heels). I add weight, but after the 6th rep, my knees start to complain and I have to shift back to just parallel. Assuming the bar is 30 lbs, I go to 140 lbs and get 12 reps. Then I drop the weight back down, doing speed squats for the last two sets, but not the 25 reps I normally end with. I'm concerned that doing so many reps is making my pants fit a bit too snug in the hips. I'm concerned enough to actually cut my sets and reps on the Stiff-Legged Deads I do next, but I make it up by getting 6 reps at 120 instead of 3 sets of 12 reps at 110 as I did last week.

Now that those are out of the way, I'm way less concerned about the Seated Leg Curls and Extensions. Last week, I felt a weird pulling sensation on the inside of my right foot, just inside the arch. It was extremely unpleasant. I feel it again when I hit my max weight of 127.5 lbs but I get my 10 reps, then start dropping the weight down for the next two sets. The weird sensation goes away. I don't have any issues with the Seated Leg Extensions but I only do four sets, dropping the reps as I up the weight. I don't want bigger legs. I just want strong, shapely ones. The lure of the Ab Crunch machine is irresistible and I knock out a quick hundred before settling on the Mat. I see regulars like R and RR, Big Mustache and ZZ, Ollie, Towel Guy, Hoodie Tattoo and a few women that I occasionally chat with. One actually gives me a loaf of home-made pumpkin bread (she leaves it at the front desk for me), and another commiserates with me about children and homework.

The Mat Stretch feels pretty good, my splits are good, the Dive Bomber Push Ups are starting to feel easier although the regular stance ones still cause my shoulders to click oddly. Even the plank doesn't feel all that bad today. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs which surprises me. Water weight fluctuates wildly in people like me who are sodium-sensitive. What doesn't surprise me is how snug my favorite ultramarine blue khakis fit. Well, at least they still fit.

Leg Day Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 4.32 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.13 miles  Grand Total = 8.45 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) as fast as I can go Butt To Heels / 12 @ 60 lbs as fast as I can go Butt To Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs (only get 6 BTH, remainder are parallel) / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 60 as fast as I can go Butt To Heels

Smith Machine SLDLs: 12 @ bar /  12 @ 80 lbs / 10 @ 100 lbs / 8 @ 110 lbs / 6 @ 120 lbs PB / 12 @ 80 lbs

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @97.5 lbs / 12 @ 112. 5 lbs / 10 @ 127.5 (weird pulling sensation at this weight inside my right arch) / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 90 lbs / 10 @ 105 lbs / 8 @ 120 lbs / 6 @ 135 lbs

Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 20 sec plank, splits, upper back, lower back, hip stretches, etc.

Just Back, No Bi's

Today was suppose to be a combination Back and Biceps Day but it turned out to be all back and no bi's. Things don't always turn out the way you plan, so it's best to just make the best of it and maximize the opportunity. Apparently that's what the raccoon has done because the suet feeder has been stolen again. At least that hat-sized varmint didn't take the bird feeder as well. It's flurrying here but the tiny flakes are melting as they touch down. It's a balmy 42°F which is so much better than the 18° previous.

I get to the gym just as Zumba is about to start, so it takes me a while before I make my way out to the cardio area. I land on Precor #3 and because I normally do Hill 6, I punch in Interval 8 instead. I'm a little tired from yesterday but I always feel more energetic as I warm up. I'm pleased to make over four miles, although it's not as good as yesterday. I see B on the Stair Master and I wave to her, but I really don't have anything to say so I move down to the cable area to claim a spot at the Lat Pull Downs. My elbows have been mostly fine all week. Until I do Pull Downs. And these are the Neutral Grip (palms facing each other) close-grip handles that I touch to my chest at the bottom of each rep. My elbows are very grumpy about these so I reconsider doing pull ups later.

The Cage Stretch is a little boring by now, but I feel it's important to stretch while you're warm. These stretches are exactly replicated in the Mat routine but I use this as a precursor to the spits I do later. The kicks are just to warm up my hips and give the abductor and adductor muscles something to do in a way that pedaling on the elliptical doesn't address. The lights suddenly go out although the TVs and radio are still on. Must've been a power surge that tripped the breakers. The gym owner says it'll take a few minutes for the big overhead halogen lights to reset. Meanwhile I grab 4 magnetic discs and head over to the barbell rack.

I do a warm up set with the 100 lb BB, then drag it back to the rack and grab the last BB there. It's 110 lbs. I know I can do this because I did this weight last week, but it was the 100 lb BB with magnets affixed to the ends. I pick up the BB with a straight back and knees, as if I'm doing a stiff-legged dead lift. It's not really that heavy and I can get three sets of 12 reps. Last week I did six sets. Today I'm only doing half that amount. I'll probably do six sets next week. Once I run through all the magnets I'll have a problem because I don't want to use a bar where I'll need collars. As I've said before, my hands and fingers are too small to compress the springs on them to get them on and off.

The lights flicker back on and I put the BB away. It must seem odd to the guys there that I can pick up a barbell that weighs as much as I do, and then walk it back to the rack. The Lower Back Extension machine is free so I grab my towel, check last week's log and set myself up for a warm up set at 165 lbs. Then I walk all over the gym looking for the 7.5 lb brick because my next set is at 187.5 lb. Those 12 reps come easily so I eye the stack again. WTH, I pull off the brick and move the pin to 195 lbs. Last time I couldn't make a complete rep and I'm worried about only doing partial reps. However, I appear to have gotten stronger in the past few weeks, although I'm still sniffling and blowing my nose a lot, because I can get 11 reps at 195 lbs. Actually I get 12, but the last rep was a partial as I didn't feel my back actually hit the bottom of the arc. I only do two more sets, getting 10 and 12 reps respectively. I really think it takes me a long time to warm up because I've noticed that my later sets are usually better than my early ones. I really feel this exercise in my glutes and hams more than my lower back so I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow.

Now imagine she's pushing a weighted
bar with the upright leg/foot.

I'm uncharacteristically tired and I still have One-Arm DB Rows to do. I swap the 2.5 lb magnets for a pair of 1.25 lbs and head to the DB area. I claim a bench and grab a 50 lb DB to start. A short young woman I've never seen before is adjusting the Smith machine to do squats. To her credit, after doing a warm up set of just the bar, she loads a pair of 25 lb plates on the bar and does a set of beautiful deep squats, in pretty damn close to ATG form. Later, when I glance over, she has placed a thin yoga mat on the floor and is kneeling on her hands and knees under the Smith with one foot pressing up against the bar. The bar has a 10 lb plate on it. I've only ever seen this movement done as a floor exercise, so this is new and intriguing to me. It should also work glutes and hams.

She eyes me warily but we don't make eye contact. I put the 50 back and amble over to the other end of the rack, but the 55s are missing. A guy is using them for seated OHPs but most of the time he's somewhere else and not at the bench where the DBs sit. I don't feel negotiating for their use, and I only need one, so I grab the 60 instead. I hadn't planned on using the 60 just yet, but it's better than having to go back and swap all my magnets again. I'm not even going to use the pair of 1.25s now. Yes, I admit it: I upped my weight out of sheer laziness. My hands are definitely tired and I stuff all my gear back into the sack and pull out the VGs. I manage to get three sets, each time adding another two reps. I guess I'll be doing 60 next week too and see if I can't get more sets.

Even though my sit ups and kick-outs are energetic, I'm mindful of the time. I need to do grocery shopping for the week (before everything's sold out) and I feel as if I've already been here too long. Doing biceps completely slips my mind. I probably could've done some curls, but I don't think missing a week is going to ruin my arms. I knock out abs without much thought and head to the Mat. I see that young woman again. She's doing either push ups or planks with her feet resting on a large stability ball. As she walks away, I note she's got the nice round glutes of someone who squats well.

The gym scale reads 112.4 lbs and that's a tad alarming. My jeans are feeling a little snug in the hips and thighs, which concerns me because I don't want to buy new clothes. It's probably glutes and hams, and I ponder how to alter my routine. I don't want to get bigger, just stronger, with well-balanced, shapely muscles. I know my hamstrings lag behind my quads so I've been working hard to bring them up to speed. When I lost twenty pounds, my butt got saggy so that's another area that required attention. We all want to look great naked, but mostly we're seen in our clothes, so it's important to look good in clothes that fit. I may actually have to modify my diet now in order to continue working out and stay in my clothes. Or at least my pants. I had to size up my tank tops and sports bras even though I'm a small busted woman, because the XS and Sm straps are strangling me and cutting into my shoulders. But I wear XS petite in dresses and casual wear. Actually, boys XL T-shirts and hoodies fits me pretty good too. Sigh.

Back Workout

35 min Interval 8 = 4.39 miles Yay!

Neutral Grip Pull Downs: 12 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 90 / 8 @ 105 / 6 @ 120 lbs
 
Cage Stretch & Kicks

Reverse Grip BB Rows: 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 110 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 115 lbs PB / 12 @ 110 lbs

Lower Back Extension Machine: 12 @ 180 lbs / 12 @ 187.5 lbs / 11, 10, 12 @ 195 lbs PB

One-Arm DB Rows: 12 @ 50 lbs / 6, 8, 10 @ 60 lbs PB

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs, 20 sec plank, splits, upper and lower back stretches, etc

Abbreviated Week Makes a Concentrated Workout

Because I'm not sure if I'll be able to work out on Thanksgiving and the following Friday, I'm concentrating my workouts into three days. The gym is actually open on those days, it's just that we'll most likely be in transit to visit family. Bearing that in mind, I reverted to a Push/Pull routine for this week. Today is Push so that's bench press, delts and triceps. Tomorrow will be Pull, otherwise known as Back & Bi's. Wednesday remains Leg Day. I've still got the sniffles but I'm mostly well. The 18°F reading didn't help much though. By the time my son and I had walked to the school bus stop, the temps had risen to a balmy 24, peaking this afternoon at 30°F.


It's good to change things up when they start to feel a little stale. Normally I start the week with a hill program on the elliptical. Today I decided to jump right into Intervals and I got to use my favorite Precor as well. I was feeling fairly energetic and managed to get my quota. A good start. I'm pulling back from benching too heavy because it's hard on my joints and a bit frustrating. Today I'm shooting for reps at 115 lbs because that's where I start to stall. I get 3 sets of 8 reps but it was a lot of work. For fun, I drop down just to 95 lbs to see how many reps I can get. Last week was 15 but I know I can do better. Today I get 20 reps, but I had to fight for the last three reps. Still, considering I didn't have a spot, I feel pretty good about it. It wasn't that the Mayor and other regulars weren't around because they were. It was just that I really didn't want to deal with them. I like doing reps with a little weight behind it.

The Cage stretch was uneventful. I grab four 2.5 lb magnets and then find that there are also four 1.25 lb discs as well. But I don't need those today. I'm feeling impatient so I don't want to do a lot of sets. Inclined Reverse Flyes with DBs are next. Halfway through, I remember to check last week's log and I'm bummed to see that I had 15 reps at 30 lbs. I don't want to slack so I up my reps for the next few sets. Last week I did four sets of lateral raises at 27.5 lbs. This week I only do three. I'm worrying about running out of steam and I still plan to do one tricep movement. A quick warm-up set of One Arm DB Extensions with a 20 lb DB, and then I grab the 40 lb barbell and a bench. I like this two-part Rip Crusher tricep exercise, but I'm cautious not to move too quickly. I didn't work arms last week per se unless you count the 12 rounds at the Nexersys. Three sets of 12 reps are enough for me today. I don't even look at the Decline Bench.

No, I don't want to be here all day so I've got to keep moving. Really, all I need to do are abs and stretching. I make up for not doing anything this weekend but knocking out sit ups, crunches, knee-in kick-outs and torso twists before the Mat stretch. It's fairly quick and painless. What's not painless are the planks. I still quiver with every exhalation between the twelve and twenty count. My shoulder clicks loudly at the regular stance Dive Bomber Push Up but I'm not sure if anyone else can hear it. Mostly I feel it in my left shoulder because I have my tunes pumped way up.

Two out of four stalls are Out of Order and I'm in such a hurry to shower that I forget to weigh myself. Sigh. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Push Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.62 miles Yay!
Bench Press: 12 @ bar / 10 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 95 lbs (meant to do 8 and almost did 12) / 3 x 8 @ 115 lbs / 20 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch, etc
Inclined Rear Delt Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 15 @ 27.5 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 30 lbs
DB Lateral Raises: 12 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs
One-Arm Tricep DB Extension: 12 @ 20 lbs
Rip Crusher: 3 x 12 @ 40 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit-Ups:125
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100
Ab Crunch Machine: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 20 sec plank, splits, hip, hamstring, upper back stretches, etc

Discriminatory Fatigue

It's Friday with changeable weather, one minute overcast and rainy, the next sunny and warm. Weekend temps promise to quickly strip away all hope of another Indian summer by blasting us with arctic winds. Should feel like single-digits, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 or 4°F. I'd finally better bring in that rosemary shrub on my front steps. I have half a mind to go back to bed after walking my son to the school bus stop, but I'm already dressed in my gym clothes, and my gym bag is already in the car. Looks like I'm going to the gym.

I've brought a few toys my son never opened and he's since aged out of them. It's for the Toys For Tots bin at the front desk that has stood completely empty for the past week. But when I get to the gym, the bin is so full that it verges on overflowing with plush toys. I gingerly stuff the Buzz Lightyear Fishing Game and a Lego Ninjago set into the box while giving F a quizzical look. "It wasn't like this yesterday," I say to him. "Yeah, some guy showed up with a big garbage bag and just dumped all this in there," he replies. I wanted to ask if he was wearing a red suit and had a big white beard, but I didn't.

The locker room is packed with half-dressed bodies, women blow-drying wet hair and gym bag contents scattered about like the remains of a sample sale. I've timed this badly. Eventually I manage to put my gear away, swap boots for Asics and head out to the cardio area. My gray hoodie has been consigned to the rag bin because I discover this morning that the zipper-pull has disappeared. The garment is too rag-tag to repair, so I dig out a hoodie I bought at Costco. It's also gray. It has wonderfully deep pockets that no cell or tissue will fall out of, but the hood itself is short and doesn't shield my eyes from the harsh lights overhead. The zipper, while study, has sharp edges and I leave it only zipped halfway in order to avoid being pricked in the neck.

I'm not sure whether it's just the fatigue of being sick, or whether my Slacker Leg Day workout really just kicked my butt. My glutes and hammies are sore enough to impede decent mileage on the elliptical. Still, I punch in Interval 7 for 35 minutes. I can't get up to my normal speed and instead lope along between 170 to 180 Strides Per Minute. Normally I'm cruising at 190 to 220. I am nicely warm and sweaty when time is up, but I don't make four miles. It's okay. I stretch at the Cage, adding another movement for hamstrings while keeping the kicks fairly brief. I'll be kicking at the Nexersys, and my knees definitely feel it the next day when I have trouble getting down the stairs.

Boxing the Nexersys
makes a good arm workout.

I sit on the floor in front of the Nexersys, wrap my hands and stuff them into those pink gloves. My hoodie, towel, water bottle and cell are neatly piled underneath the station. Twelve rounds today. Just Avatar Follow Me, and no sparring. Maybe I'll add sparring back next week when I'm not so tired. Magically, my fatigue melts away as I get into the boxing program. I've never done 12 Follow Me rounds before. Sparring is harder because you have to pace yourself or risk burning out before the round is up. Follow Me is easier in that respect, but harder in that sometimes you anticipate a move that isn't and lose accuracy points. Mostly I lose accuracy points when I whack the pad too hard, the Warning Buzzer goes off and the hit isn't registered. I find that there are certain strikes I have to hit Open Hand, or rather, with a limp fist, in order to pull the punch, otherwise I'm hitting waaaay too hard. So contrary to what we're all taught: tight fist, punch from the body, use torque from the hip. But since I'm improving in accuracy while maintaining power, I'm pretty happy.

Between rounds, I see some of the regulars moving between Cybex stations or up into the cardio area. But I'm more focused on the Nexersys than anything else. I take a moment to wipe myself down before plopping onto the Mat for my last stretch of the week. It feels good to just flop over like a rag doll. If I'm not careful, I'll find myself waking up there. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm good with that. I need to do a few quick errands before heading back to the house where I can mix up that vaguely strawberry-flavored whey protein with milk, eat a few clementines (just came into season!) and get on with my day.

Friday Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 3.90 miles Bleah!

Nexersys: 12 rounds Avatar Follow Me, beginner female
  Accuracy 88% / Strikes 102% / Power 123%

Yes, the recommendation is to add rounds because I'm over-power and over-striking for my level. I could move up to the Intermediate Level but I'm leery of the elbow and knee strikes required for that. But I suppose I could give it a 3-round try next week. Oooh, something to look forward to.

photo posted for actual stats:

Slacker Leg Day

I took yesterday off and actually stayed in bed reading until it was damn near noon. I'd already had my coffee and oatmeal, although I did soup it up a bit by adding a scoop of whey powder to it, figuring it would hold me until I'd gotten all my errands done. I even took a half dose of pseudoephedrine and drank a lot of herbal tea. Today I feel better, although I'm still blowing snot out of my head. And instead of staying home, because I had to drive my son to school for his extra gym class anyway, I packed all my gym gear, put on my gym clothes and went to work out.

I'm still sick so I figure I'd do a slacker Leg Day routine but I tend to make that up as I go. I toy with only doing one cardio session but because the first one felt pretty good, I opt to do number two as well. I don't pull great mileage, but it's still over eight, and that makes me really happy. If I had to leave the gym suddenly at this point, say due to a call from the school nurse, or because the power grid failed throughout the entire Northeast (hey, it's happened), well, I can say, at least I got this done. The Smith machine is free and that makes me happier.

I remember that I was going to video the speed squats so I put my cell on the floor in front of the Smith. When I review the footage for speed squat sets one and two, I realize that the overhead lights are causing a glare problem. By the time I've done regular squats, I've figured out that I can gingerly place my cell on the ledge of the cardio platform and see if that's better. I do my last set, speed squats of 25 reps with just the bar and the footage looks decent. I toy with the idea of getting a video of my Smith machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts, but suddenly there's a convention of old people hanging about the cardio platform. I have to check last week's log to see what I should be doing and decided I'm going to do better. And I do. I get three sets of 12 instead of 10. That makes me feel really good.

I'm tired by the time I get to the Cage and although my stretches are good, the kicks are cursory. Only Seated Leg Curls and Seated Leg Extensions to do. I don't have the energy or the mind to do more than three sets, matching the weight from last week, but not the volume. I knock out sit ups and crunches, then head to the Mat to do Dive Bomber Push Ups, the single 20 second plank and more stretches. I'm soooo done. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm good with that considering I'd completely drained my water bottle. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I might be back for more cardio and to whack the Nexersys. That's worth getting up for!

Slacker Leg Day
35 min Interval 7 = 4.35 miles + 35 min Hill 5 = 3.81  Grand Total = 8.16 miles Yay!

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 60 lbs fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 140 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 60 lbs fast as I can go Butt to Heels / 25 @ bar fast as I can go Butt to Heels 

Smith Machine Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar / 12 @ 60 lbs / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 / 3 x 12 @ 110 lbs Yay!

Cage Stretch

Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 97.5 lbs / 10 @ 127.5 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs
Seated Leg Extensions: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 135 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Ab Crunch Station: 100

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs & 20 second plank, splits and other stretches

Sick Day Workout

Because I can't seem to get warm unless I work out, I'm downright miserable if I stay home all day while the temp hovers in the low 40s. There's only so much hot tea that one can drink without becoming absolutely sodden. It's as if my body is in hibernation mode until I shock it awake with a healthy dose of cardio. Today is Back Day and probably the most taxing of my 5-day routine, so I'm game to see what I can make of it. I already know cardio is going to blow chunks, but I make a gallant effort anyway. I don't even come close to four miles. Still, it makes me warm and sweaty, and that makes me feel better.

My head cold is progressing -- I have tissues in my hoodie pocket because my nose is running. Or rather, my right nostril is running. The left seems unperturbed by all this talk of illness and colds. I've slathered Liquid Skin all over my fingers and parts of my heels and toes in an effort to stave off cold weather skin fissures. My finger tips are shiny like plastic, but the bleach spray I use to wipe off the elliptical tends to dissolve that protection. I'm only planning to do four sets of Neutral Grip Pull Downs but I toy with the idea of Seated Cable Rows. I stopped doing them when my lower back suddenly reacted badly, and initiated a warning bout of sciatica down my right leg. It's not worth risking the injury. My elbows don't complain too loudly about the Pull Downs. Perhaps next week I'll try some Pull Ups.

This week I'm constantly reminding myself to go slow and easy, although I frequently have to check the Jefit app on my phone to remember what I did last week, and subsequently, what I was planning to do today. I do feel a little tired when I stretch out at the Cage. But mostly I feel fatigue in my lower eyelids. They burn a little, as if I've stayed up too late watching bad TV. The rest of me feels fine. The free weight area is a complete disaster, as if teenagers held an all night rave and forgot to have their moms put everything back in order. I have my four magnetic discs from the front desk.

There's a guy blocking the BB rack because he's put the EZ bar where the 80 lb BB should be. The 80 is on the floor by his feet. He's attempting to put plates on the bar but the EZ isn't long enough to fit properly. Okay, I've just pegged this young black guy with the V-shape physique as a moron. I remember B talking about him ("Oh, he has such a nice body") and how she'd made him some soup or stew and was constantly bringing it to the gym but he'd never be there. Eventually she gave up. I'm sure he was avoiding her attentions and I was embarrassed for her.

Eventually he realizes that he's in my way and he moves aside so I can grab the 100 lb barbell. I'll skip the 90 today. I have discs so I'm not going to bother with the 110 either. BD curls the EZ bar, but never replaces the 80 lb BB. I hate people who don't clean up after themselves. I do a warm up set at 100 and then knock out six sets of 12 reps at 110 lbs. My grip is okay for this but I know my hands are already starting to tire. Lower Back Extensions are next. The seat and shoulder rest are set at the lowest points, for someone my size. But the weight is set at 75 lbs. Yeah, gotta fix that. One warm up set at 165 lbs. The next six sets are at my max weight of 187.5 lbs for 12 reps each. It's a bit of work, but not impossible. I'm not sure how to move the weight up because at 195 lbs, I can't make the full arc. I don't know if a partial movement should count. I see ZZ trying not to stare. He's wearing a fluorescent yellow shirt and a pompadour. It's hard not to notice him, even peripherally.

When I'm done, I bring the 2.5 lb discs back to the front desk and swap them for the pair of 1.25 discs. Together they'll make a 55 into a 57.5 lb DB. I'm tired but I can always move weights. I grab a bench close to the plastic beauty bells because that is where the 55s start. I warm up with a 50 though and have to walk it all the way down the rack first. A set at 55. I've put the VGs on because my hands are tired. Then I plop the discs on and brace myself for the next three sets. I don't take as long to recover from each set but still, it's odd that my left seems stronger than my right. Of course, my left is fresher because I do left side first -- it's literally my weaker side. I feel a bit hollow, but not really tired. I think the tank's gone empty. However, there's still abs to do, and the sad thing is, I can always do abs. So I do abs. Sit ups, knee-in kick outs, crunches, torso twists. All of it. Now I can finally settle down for the Mat stretch. Once I get those DBPUs and plank out of the way. Sigh.

The gym scale reads 111.0 lbs. My face seems a tad puffy so I think having bacon and eggs for dinner last night was probably a bit too much salt. But my son enjoys it when I swap brunch foods for supper, and it's a nice change especially when the hubby is away on business and will have already had dinner by the time he gets home. Tomorrow is Leg Day. I'm not sure how the Double Cardio is going to go, but I'll give it a shot. I can always push weight. It's the cardio that I suck at, and that I have to work at. But maybe not when I'm sick.

Tuesday Workout:
35 min Hill 6 = 3.80 miles Blech!

Neutral Grip Pull Downs: 12 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 90 lbs / 8 @ 105 lbs / 6 @ 120 lbs
Will see how Pull Ups feel next week

Cage Stretch

Reverse Grip BB Rows: 12 @ 100 / 6 x 12 @ 110 lbs PB
I guess I should grab the 110 lb BB and start adding discs to that

Lower Back Extension: 12 @ 165 lbs / 6 x 12 @ 187.5 lbs PB
Not sure where to go with this because I can't complete the full arc movement at the next plate 195 lbs

One-Arm DB Rows: 12 @ 50 lbs / 12 @ 55 lbs / 12, 11, 10 @ 57.5 lbs
Guess I'll up the weight when I can get 3 sets of 12 at 57.5 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Up: 125
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Out: 100
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 20 sec plank, splits, etc.

Pulling Back Just a Tad

Well, it's finally happened late in the year: I've caught a cold. Not just any common cold, mind you, no coughing, not much sneezing, no runny nose. No, it's a dreaded head cold. I can tell from the sore throat I gargled away last Thursday. My throat wasn't red, but it hurt. And it hurt because there was gobs of mucous stuck to it. Once that was gargled away, everything was fine. Except where it all originated. Post-nasal drip indicates a sinus infection. I'm not at all surprised by now that only my right side that appears to be congested. I made chicken soup yesterday for dinner, thick with onions, garlic, celery, carrots, boneless chicken thighs, and egg noodles. Topped with sriracha hot chili sauce, otherwise known as Rooster Sauce. I feel better today, although not 100%. There's only so much that zinc tablets, vitamin C and plenty of fluids will do for you. Sleeping in works wonders, but that was Saturday morning only. Then we went out to the local Latin American bistro to enjoy empanadas, platano relleno, ropa vieja, braised lamb shank in banana leaves, mushroom risotto, mango-vanilla cheesecake, and a flourless chocolate torte with vanilla ice-cream. Yum.

Today's it's back to the grind. Oatmeal, egg and raisins for breakfast with a cup of coffee. I've been testing new protein powders 'cuz as much as I enjoy the RTD high protein Ensure after my workout, I"m getting bored with just the vanilla or chocolate flavor. I bought Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey strawberry flavor. My husband complains it has no taste. Mixed with water, he's right. It doesn't taste bad. Or good. Because it doesn't seem to taste like anything. I mix a scoop with lactose-free skim milk and it tastes vaguely like strawberry Quik, but not as sweet. His GNC brand AMP Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60 tastes better, but it makes me grind my teeth. Of course, original Sudafed makes me grind my teeth as well. Doesn't seem to bother him. But he eats pre-workout Cellucor Extreme C4 before he trots off to the garage. All I need is a cup of coffee.

The parking lot is packed but there's not a lot of people in the gym. Perhaps they're in class? I mount Precor #1 and punch in program Hill 5. I don't really feel sick and I'm pedaling fairly quickly. Still I don't quite make my quota. I see all the regulars down in the free weight area, The Mayor, M, Tall Pace, Jude, The Slav and even a few irregulars, people who show up sporadically. But since I've decided to concentrate on getting stronger by getting more reps in than pushing heavy, I don't see the need for a spot. Because I'm sick, I'm also cutting myself some slack on the amount of sets today.

Size Small Equator tank is
a tad tight in the shoulders

Even though I just did 35 minutes of cardio, I still feel the need to warm up the muscles I'm working next. Hence 12 reps with just the bar. Then another set with a few more pounds. I don't actually feel as if I'm pushing weight until I toss the 25 lb plates on. In the past I've done six sets of 12 reps at 95 lbs. Today I only do eight reps because I'm trying to get sets at the next higher weight: 115 lbs. At first I can only get 6 reps. But the next set I get 8, and the following set as well. I know I could struggle with more reps but struggling isn't pretty so I don't. Instead, I drop back down to 95 lbs just to see how many reps I can get. I almost stop at 12 but realize I can do more. I stop at 15. I could probably do more but I need to keep something in the tank.

I'm wearing a new Athleta yoga top today because daily workouts are making my clothes ragged and rough, edges frayed, holes growing in the fabric like an unquenchable alien life form. It's a size Small because I made my purchase based on the sizing chart, but since I'm not built like the average woman, I have to actually do a wear-test to see if it truly fits. Halfway through the delt workout, the shoulder straps start to dig into my traps and I wonder if I shouldn't've sized up to a Medium. Tomorrow I'll wear the other yoga top I bought, but that garment is actually a Medium because I got smart and purchased both sizes, tried them on, and have already returned the smaller top.

My Jaya tank is a
Black Medium

I cut back on the weight for the delt work although it's annoying that my gym only has two 1.25 lb magnetic weights and four 2.5 lb ones. Still I do six sets at decent weights and reps for both rear and lateral raises. Between sets, I see a short Latino standing inside the hex bar with small plates on it. I don't know what he's doing but the rounded back he's using to lift the bar isn't going to end well. Jude is in the Squat rack. He squats a lot of weight. The Mayor switches between preacher curls and something with DBs. I'm not really paying much attention. My batteries feel like they're draining down so I'd better get moving... only abs and stretching left to do. Yay!

The Dive Bomber Push Ups are definitely easier but I'm not inclined to do any more than the two sets of 12 before the 20 second plank. Splits are mostly good today, and laying on the Mat while I stretch out my lower back definitely felt luxurious. The gym scale reads 112.4 lbs, a result of salty well-seasoned restaurant food, and fatigue snacking. I'm not worried.

Monday Workout:
35 min cardio Hill 5 = 3.94 miles 
Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 10 @ 75 lbs / 8 @ 95 lbs / 6, 8, 8 @ 115 lbs / 15 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch, etc
Rear Inclined DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 3 x 15 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 30 lbs / 15 @ 25 lbs
DB Lateral Raises: 12 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs / 4 x 12 @ 27.5 lbs
Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 125
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 20 sec plank, etc

Use Your Strengths and Weaknesses to Your Advantage

I won't lie. I'm really happy that I don't go to the gym on weekends, that I'm a total, blissfully inactive slug. Okay, there's always household stuff to be done, but that doesn't count. Today is Friday and although I'm none too eager about the Double Cardio session, I am quite happy to whack the Nexersys station. Just like I can always push some weights, no matter how tired or crappy I feel. But give me any excuse to get out of cardio, and I'm back in bed with the covers pulled over my head. So whacking the Nexersys is my reward for the prolonged agony of elliptical pedaling. (I need a new verb for this activity but so far I haven't come across any. Suggestions welcome!)

The forecast is a balmy 60°F later this afternoon, but when I leave the house, it's still in the low 30s. There's no more snow and ice but the leaves are mostly bare. The winter sun hangs low in the sky, and since there's no leafy canopy, it's simultaneously bright and bleak. The parking lot isn't too crowded, but there's a din in the gym that's unnerving. I've timed it wrong and I'm caught in the frenetic flurry of women rushing to Zumba, or Spin, or BodyPump. I'm not sure which. I stick close to the lockers with my hoodie pulled over my eyes and my iPod plugged in. At some point it'll be safe to exit and head for the cardio area. There are people on Precors #1 and #2 so I get #3 by default. Uh oh, I notice that the track is starting to grind when the glides descend from peak to trough in the program. It's still not as bad as Tractor #2, which I can hear rumbling over my tunes during a pause in the vocals. My legs are sore and stiff from Leg Day two days ago. I wonder if my arms will be sore tomorrow.

Grinding through Interval 7 is difficult, especially since my left hand and thumb feel achy and sore. My quads, glutes and hammies are whining but I'm good at ignoring all this. My hands, less so. I don't like it when my toes go numb, or the bottom of my feet. But I really hate it when my fingers and thumbs complain. For a millisecond, I consider bagging the 2nd session, and then I toy with doing one of the Hill programs. But I punch in Interval 8 anyway. I know I'm tired because I'm not able to maintain my speed, and my only concern is actually finishing the session, not how much mileage I can log. That says fatigue to me right there. I do finish. Not my best mileage but not shabby either. I'm so tired I can't think about anything. Go to autopilot. Cage Stretch is next.

Bought a Dragon Lady
dress today just for fun

The Cage is relaxing after a fashion. It's two stretch seats and three bikes away from the pair of Nexersys machines. I haven't wrapped my left hand as tightly as I should so I have trouble stuffing it into the glove. Still, I manage to get my sopping wet hoodie, my stuff sack, towel, cell and water bottle all neatly under the body of the boxing machine. Last week I did seven rounds of Follow Me and three rounds of Sparring. I'd like to do 10 rounds of Follow Me but there's only two round increments so I opt to do nine rounds of Follow Me. The sign taped to the station says to do only 30 minutes or 7 rounds, but again, the other station is free, there's no line waiting for admission, so nine rounds it is.

During the first round, my glove catches the cord to my headphones and yanks them right off my head. I scramble to reapply them and tuck my cord into my waistband but the gloves are cumbersome. I miss a few punches in the interim. But I still manage improved accuracy and power throughout all nine rounds. The recommendation is again, add rounds. I'm still trying to learn how hard to punch because punching too hard pauses the machine while sounding a Warning Buzzer, and the punch doesn't get counted. Major bummer.

The maximum number of rounds is 15, but I doubt if I'll be there anytime soon. I don't do any Sparring today because I'd like to do the Dive Bomber Push Up portion of the Mat Stretch without falling on my face. It's always a worry when working arms and shoulders. The 20 second plank starts off hard, but by the 18th minute, I've either given up or fallen asleep, body rigid but eyes closed. I've actually fallen asleep with my eyes open, but only once, and only after being awake for three days straight. The gym scale reads 109.6 lbs and I'm good with that. I'm better with the piping hot shower. I get an email from our Chinese school notifying us that school is cancelled due to smoke conditions in Rockland County which is across the Hudson River. I'm puzzled. Just how big is this fire that the smoke is closing schools in Westchester County? But, it also means I don't have to get up tomorrow morning! Yay! Bring on slug-mode!

Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.32 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.15 miles  Grand Total = 8.47 miles Yay!
Cage Stretch
Nexersys: 9 rounds Follow Me Avatar, beginner female.
  accuracy 78%  /  strikes 99%  / avg power 127%
Each round is 3 minutes, followed by a 30 second round wrap-up, and then a 30 second introduction to the next round. I'm steadily improving when I look at stats from the past few weeks. Yay!

photo posted for actual stats:

Slow and Steady

I got to the gym an hour early and all the stars were in alignment. Kidding. Mysteriously, my iPod worked fine today. It's also a tad warmer, peaking today near 50°F. All the ellipticals were occupied as I approached the cardio area, but then two gals suddenly vacated their machines and I got to ride Precor #3. Anything's better than the Tractor (Precor #2). Interval 7 feels hard when I start but as I get into my tunes, my legs loosen up, my glutes stop being sore and I can ignore the fatigue in my quads. Yes, made my quota and then some!

The Decline Bench is vacant although I can't find the foam block so I do without it. The Mayor, Tall Pace and M are kibbitzing loudly at one of the Inclined Benches. I'm not planning to move anything I know I can't lift, so I'm not worried about a spot. But because I'd like better control over the weight, I keep my reps low at my max weight today. Six reps feels pretty good but I'm cautious. Next set I just get seven reps. Then B stops by to chat a bit. Okay, I can use the rest. Her doc wants her to get an MRI 'cuz she's pinched a nerve in her back, but she's so claustrophobic that she can't. Not even sedated. So now she's looking for an "open MRI" that her health insurance will cover. She waves by at me and moves on to chat with more people. The Mayor waves his hand at me to ask how many more sets and I reflexively tell him Three. The next set I actually get ten good reps and I'm really happy because they were a bit shaky last week (when M grabbed the bar as if he were rescuing me, which he wasn't). Just for fun, I knock out a dozen reps at 95 lbs, and then I'm done with the Decline.

The Cage is busy, and there's apparently a line! I stand by the wall and stretch out while waiting for my turn. Two women later, I get to stretch and kick before heading back to the DB area. I see Flirty Girl chatting with a circle of women gathered around an arm-pedaling station. I've grabbed a pair of 2.5 lb magnets and a pair of 1.25 lb magnets so I'm set. This week I'll just stick to the 25 lb DBs instead of wrestling with the 30s, but at some point I'm going to get bored. I guess I could try 27.5 lbs next week and see how six 12-rep sets feels at that weight.

I knock out six 12-rep sets with them, super-setting them with the two-part Rip Crusher tricep movement (yes, thanks Chad). Those are exciting because I'm still figuring out what I can handle. I start with 30 lbs because I did six 12-rep sets last week. Then I up the weight for each set in small increments. By the fifth set I'm up to 40 lbs. So I do another set just to make it an even six sets. Next week I'll see if I can do all six sets at 40 lbs. R wanders into the area and we exchange a quick wave. There are a few other regulars floating about like RR, Skinny Mustache, Big Mustache, Ollie, ZZ and a couple of gals I recognize. But I'm not feeling chatty today.

I move my stuff over from the bench to the mirrored wall so I can do BB curls with the 40 I already have. I just need to plop magnets on it to make it a 45. I can get six 12-rep sets here too, so I guess it might be time to gingerly up the weight. In the past, the 50 has made my elbows scream, so perhaps next week I'll just inch up to 47.5 lbs instead. I already know I can get three or four sets of 20 reps at 40 lbs for the Reverse Grip BB Curls, so I cautiously up the weights here too. A set at 42.5 lbs is easy enough. At 45 lbs I have to pause briefly at rep 18 before finishing the set. I guess I'll be doing them at 45 lbs next week. It's progress. Slow and steady.

A hundred crunches in the Ab Station and then the Mat Stretch with two dozen Dive Bomber Push Ups before the dreaded 20-second plank. But these are all feeling easier. Hmmm. Even my stretches are really good today, and that's unusual the day after Leg Day. Could be hormones. Could just be all the stars in alignment today. The gym scale reads 110.6 lbs and that's okay. I've sucked down my entire 1.5 liters of water so I'm pretty sure my home scale will tell me about 108 lbs, and I'm good with that.

Arm DayWorkout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.56 miles Yay!
Decline Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 10 @ 75 lbs / 12 @ 95 / 6, 7, 10 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs
Cage Stretch
Alternating DB Curls: 4 x 12 @ 25 lbs / 13 @ 25 lbs / 14 @ 25 lbs
superset with Rip Crushers: 12 @ 30 lbs, 32.5 lbs, 35 lbs, 37.5 lbs / 2 x 12 @ 40 lbs
BB Curls: 6 x 12 @ 45 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 20 @ 40 lbs / 20 @ 42.5 lbs / 20 @ 45 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Mat Stretch with 2 x 12 DBPUs and 20 sec plank, etc

Getting Leg Day Outta the Way

I wasn't prepared for 18°F when I took the dog for his walk this morning. Neither was the potted rosemary shrub sitting on our front steps. Oh well. It's probably too late to bring it in and over-winter it in the kitchen. Besides, temps promise to rise into the 50s later in the week. Of course, the rosemary will probably be dead by then. It's rarely used because my son doesn't care for it's flavor but I love how the air smells when you gently brush their pine needle branches. Walking down the hill to the school bus stop, I see what looks to be a giant brown holiday ornament hanging forlornly from a skinny bare branch. Snow caps the top of its irregular egg shape. It's actually an abandoned paper wasp nest, delicate strands flutter where the nest has been breached. Our privet hedges are full of chattering birds sniping at each other. When those branches become bare, all the nests will be apparent, a virtual apartment complex of avian life.

Pretty good considering I wasted 4 minutes
fiddling with my iPod and
then resorted to plugging into my cell.

I get to the gym late and hope that I can get on an elliptical. Today is Leg Day. Today is Double Cardio Day. The cardio area is moderately busy and I wind up on Precor #3. At least it's not The Tractor! But as I punch in the program, my iPod starts to act up. Or rather, it shuts itself down. I start it up again and after a minute, it goes into pause mode. It's never acted this weird before, but I know it's starting to have issues. The gyroscope doesn't work anymore so the face doesn't automatically right itself when you rotate the player. Today is much more serious, and after 4 minutes have passed on Interval 7, I yank out my headphones and plug them into my cell. I don't have a lot of tunes there, but enough to power a workout. This is one of the few times that I'm actually thankful that my iTune purchases are in the Cloud, and I was able to download these tunes onto my cell rather effortlessly. Of course, I don't have a holder, armband or pockets so my cell is sitting on the little shelf above the Precor display. I debate whether to drive to the Mall and the Apple store later to see if this can be fixed. Meanwhile, I've logged in a bit over 4 miles and I'm happy. Normally I then do a Hill program but I'm feeling ornery, so I punch in another interval program instead. Yep, glutton for punishment. But my mileage is better the second go round, and I'm very happy. Even if I am annoyed at my iPod.

The Smith Machine is vacant and I wander over to it, then remember I was going to give real squats a go. Except that there's someone in the Squat rack. My gym only has one squat rack, and one Smith machine. Okay, I can always go there when it's vacant sometime later. I do speed squats, add weight, do more with the Butt to Heels. At the 3rd set, with 80 lbs, I can only get to 6 reps before I have to modify my form and only go to parallel. I add weight and continue until I hit my max, then I start drop sets. When I get to 60 lbs, I try speed squats again. This time I can only get 12. My last set of 25 reps with just the bar is not painful, but it certainly leaves me a bit breathless. I guess that's good. My cell is wedged uncomfortably in my waistband with the excess cord wrapped around it. Good thing I have that fancy mil-spec waterproof case for it.

ZZ is hovering but I'm ignoring him and mostly everyone else. The gym is getting busier. I grab the step platform from the middle of the free weight area where someone abandoned a carefully composed setup of steps, platform and a half dome atop it. Not quite sure why but half the members leave their DBs and stuff all over the place as if mom was going to pick up after them. I check last week's Jefit log to see what's next. Ah yes, SLDLs. The idea of doing 3 sets of 10 reps seems a bit daunting but since I did them last week, I figure I can do them this week. And I do. I'm actually surprised that my lower glutes and hammies aren't sore from yesterday's Lower Back Extensions. My upper back's a little stiff, but not painful. Of course, the massage I got from my husband last night probably helped a lot too. I know what you're thinking, but I did get a real arnica oil backside massage.

I do a short stretch at the Cage because I've already spent too much time at the gym. Normally I head to the Leg Curls next, but that's busy so I grab the Seated Leg Extensions. I cut my sets down and start at 105 lbs instead of 90. At 135 lbs, I do sets of 12. I don't think I can go heavier, so my plan is just to up the sets. Maybe next week I'll just warm up at 90 lbs and do four sets at 135 lbs. The Seated Leg Curl is finally free so I amble over. After a warm up set at 87.5 lbs (there was a 7.5 lb brick on the stack, but it was set to 75 lbs so I left it there), I move right into 127.5 lbs because I know that's the heaviest I can go. I'm trying to get sets of reps, figuring I should still be able to do this. I'm good until the 3rd set, when I can actually feel the tank go empty. It's a weird feeling. I got my 10 reps but suddenly my eyes feel a little hollow. I go back to the free weight area to check out the Squat rack, figuring I could at least try it with just the bar, but again, someone's in it. Okay, maybe a quick set of Torso Twist and then the Mat. I don't find the Mat taxing or difficult even though the pacing does make me a bit breathless and sweaty. Again, the 20 second plank is my least favorite part of it, but I must be getting used to it, because today it doesn't bother me as much.

The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs. Well, at least it's moving in the right direction. My clothes reek so badly that I hold my breath until I've got them safely stashed in my dirty laundry bag. I've resorted to using a sports stink-away detergent to make my synthetics unoffensive. Nothing worse than pulling clean clothes out of the hot dryer only to have them smelling like you just fished them out of the sewer. Yuck! Right now I'm testing 2Toms Stink-Free Sports Detergent I got from Amazon. I'm really happy that today is Wednesday because that tells me I've gotten all the major body parts done for the week. The next two days are just for fun.

Leg Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.24 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.31 miles  Grand Total = 8.55 miles YAY!

Smith Machine Squats: 25 @ bar (30 lbs) Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 60 lbs Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 12 @ 60 lbs Butt to Heels as fast as I can go / 25 @ bar (30 lbs) Butt to Heels as fast as I can go 

Smith Machine Stiff Legged Dead Lifts: 12 @ bar (30 lbs) / 12 @ 80 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 3 x 10 @110 lbs it's not as taxing as it's been in the past so I hoping that means I'm improving! Yay!

Cage Stretch

Seated Leg Extension: 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 120 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 135 lbs
Seated Leg Curl: 12 @ 82.5 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 127.5 lbs

Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch (20 second plank between a dozen DBPUs), splits, etc

Two Steps Back and One Step Forward

It's Tuesday and I get to the gym much later than normal because I had things to do before I left the house. Never mind the snow flurries that weren't suppose to stick. A feathery white blanket on the trees, grass and shrubs makes our run down neighborhood downright pretty, but the 31°F temperature meant winter parkas and gloves were a necessity. The gym was crowded but I still got my favorite elliptical so I was happy enough. I just missed my four mile quota but I was still in a good mood.

I see B chatting with M on the brand new stair climbers, and since I don't have anything to say, I just walk by with my hoodie over my face. My elbows don't like the Close Grip Lat Pull Downs but I only do four sets as a sort of warm up. Then I stretch at the Cage. Since the Cage is situated next to a mirrored wall near the gym entrance, I can see people coming and going if I'm paying attention. Most people are oblivious to me which is the way I like it. Then I see the Flirty Girl walk in with a head band, capris and snow parka. She looks around, sees me and leaves. Most people leave and return because they've forgotten something. She's just gone. I'm really quite amused but you couldn't tell that from looking at me.

I grab 4 magnetic discs and head to the free weights. I wish I didn't have to traverse an obstacle course to get to the BB rack. I guess I'm lazy because I grab the 90 lb BB and do a set of Reverse Grip BB Rows. Then I swap it for the 100 lb BB. But it's such an ordeal ducking between benches and Olympic bars jutting haphazardly out at face level (for me, anyway). So instead of swapping the 100 for the last barbell in the rack, the 110, I plop magnets on the ends. Eventually I'll just start with the 100 and swap it for the 110. But not yet. My grip seems okay today and I can feel the center of my back contract with the rowing motion. Cool, I think to myself.

After I re-rack the barbell I jump on the Lower Back Extension and dawdle a bit on where to start. WTH, I'll start where I started last week, at 150 lbs. It's actually really convenient to have the Jefit app on my phone since I can easily check what I logged last week (instead of trying to guess what I did) and judge how heavy and how many reps based on facts. As I do and log each set, I remember that I was going to do three sets at the max weight any way. So I do that too. No wonder I spend so much time at the gym.

Okay, there's only one exercise left to do and that's always saved for last ('cuz I just don't count abs and stretching). I start with the 45 lb DB and regular grips. I've replaced my old broken neoprene grips with a leather/neoprene grip but I'm not sure how much I like them because the leather seems slippery. When my fingers starts to falter I'll pull the VGs out of my gear sack. I can get 12 reps. I grab the 50 but only get 10 reps. I grab the 55 and put on the VGs and again I get 12 reps. I contemplate doing another two sets when I suddenly remember that I was going to up the weights a tad so I trade the four 2.5 lb discs for a pair of 1.25 lb discs. That makes the 55 a 57.5 lb DB. And I get three sets but not 12 reps. Still, I'm pretty happy. The guys in the DB area are trying really hard not to stare. And if they're making comments, I can't hear them because I'm plugged in.

Only abs and Mat stretch to do. While I'm on the Mat, a guy plops down on the adjacent one. He's the same guy I saw earlier, peering from the Mat area, with puppy dog eyes. He has his brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail, unusual for this part of the country. Briefly, I wonder if he's the same guy from Friday, but I soon forget about him because I've busy trying to complete my routine without falling on my face.

The gym scale reads 111.6 lbs and that's better than yesterday. The small Latina woman I spoke to weeks ago comes in and weighs herself. Apparently she's a tad heavier than me although I would've said she was smaller. Heck, she's probably taller too. I'm so bad at judging these things. She's shocked that I weigh less than her and I tell her that it's just numbers. They don't mean anything. What means something is moving the weights down and upping my reps again. But they don't mean anything to anyone except me.

Tuesday Workout:
35 min Hill 6 = 3.98 miles (Yawn!)

Close Grip (neutral grip) Lat Pull Downs: 12 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 90 lbs / 8 @ 105 lbs / 6 @ 120 lbs
my elbows still don't like this movement so I'm not even going to attempt pull ups today

Cage Stretch

Reverse Grip BB Rows: 12 @ 90 lbs / 12 @ 100 lbs / 3 x 12 @ 110 lbs
I think I'll work up to 6 sets of 12 at 110 before upping the weight

Lower Back Extension Machine: 12 @ 150 / 12 @ 165 / 12 @ 180 / 3 x 12 @ 187.5 lbs
I'll try to work up to 6 sets of 12 at 187.5 lbs

One-Arm DB Rows: 12 @ 45 lbs / 10 @ 50 lbs / 12 @ 55 lbs / 11, 10, 8 @ 57.5 lbs
working towards getting 3 full sets of 12 reps at 57.5 lbs

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
I feel this loosens my lower back up after doing all those lower back extensions
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs

Mat Stretch (still hate the 20 second plank)

Long Weekends Are Long

I'm getting to this blog a bit late because frankly, at nearly 9 pm Monday evening, this is the first time I've been able to sit down at my computer all day. Make that all weekend. Between classes, birthday parties and play dates, it's hard to fit in the household chores and still have time to write coherent sentences. Today is Monday and there's no school because it's Veterans Day. There's a line of flags along the lake across from the courthouse and it's a stirring sight as we drive up the main street toward the gym this morning. It's not as crowded as I feared. Good for me, but my son is disappointed because he's looking for play mates and fellow gamers.

I get on my favorite elliptical and feel surprisingly energetic considering the hectic weekend. Hubby was away at a 2-day Practical Primitive bow-making course, and gone again for a business trip to Boston. I've promised my son a trip to the Mall to visit Santa, and to get a holiday photo. It's been the same Santa for the past several years and I appreciate the consistency. Now I have a series showing my son and Santa, my son larger and more shy in each photo. At some point he'll stop believing and then he won't be a little boy anymore. Right now he still is. I glance at the Precor display and I'm very pleased at the mileage reading.

The free weight area is crowded but I manage to secure a flat bench. But I'm not sure who I can get to spot me when the time comes. I don't worry about it and make my progression from bar to a few plates to heavier plates. When I finally get to 125 lbs, I look around. No Mayor today. No Slav. I see Jude by the Squat rack and another fellow who is chatting with him between sets on the Decline Bench. He's vampire pale, small and wiry with close-crop hair and bad tats on his calves. I walk up to them to ask for a spot and the smaller fellow volunteers. I think Jude is disappointed. Again, I can get five all by myself, and then I sputter at number six. After a few minutes, I toss another pair of fives on and ask for a spot again. "Do you need a lift off?" he asks. "Naw. Well," I say, reconsidering. "Last week I got two. But that was last week." I can lift off fine. It doesn't even feel that heavy, not until the bar descends. I can get two with a lot of effort. And then I try for one more. Well, he's a good spot.

Two drop sets and it's time for a brief stretch at the Cage. Only two more exercises to do! Yay! Incline rear delt flyes. I used to like these. Now, not so much. Probably because I've upped the weight to as far as I can go so now I'm just working on reps. I don't think my wrists and elbows will let me go heavier than 30 lbs. 30 lbs is pretty damn heavy. I stand up and drop the weights back down to 20 for Lateral Raises. I used to like these too. Before I got ambitious. R walks in and I give him a brief nod. There's a gal to the left of me taking up a lot of floor space doing DB lunges. That doesn't bother me as much as the fact that she rests her DBs, water bottle and towel on a bench. But she's not actually using the bench. I don't think you should drape your crap on stuff you're not actually using.

R and I try not to get in each other's way. He's rolling the 110 DBs to a bench to do DB flyes. Then he grabs a 45 lb plate, holds it over his head, arms extended while he does leg lifts. I'm almost done being scary with the 30 lb DBs when he points to the Inclined Bench. I pull out my earpiece. "What?" "Using this?" "Oh no," I motion, but then I ask him how his wife is doing. She's eight and half months pregnant now and I want to hear that she's doing well. He's all smiles and proceeds to tell me how she's working out here on Saturdays, how she doesn't even look pregnant from behind, but how the doc's told them the baby might be breech. I reassure him and tell him about my own son causing back labor, getting stuck and eventually needing to be delivered C-section. We laugh over names and nicknames because he's coined one combining his and his wife's name, but he doesn't actually want to burden the child with a silly name. It's just a nickname. He's sweet, telling me how he sings to his wife's belly and his son moves towards his voice. "I can't wait to meet him," he gushes. After a few more minutes of chatting, I tell him I gotta finish up before I cool down too much.

A set of crunches and some torso twists, Mat Stretch and I'm done! Yay! The gym scale reads an unfortunate 112.0 lbs. Whoa. That's cause for pause. But my son is actively engaged in a game with another boy roughly his age and he doesn't want to leave until I remind him of our date with Santa.

Monday Workout:
35 min Hill 5 = 4.05 miles Yay!
Bench Press: 12 @ 45 / 8 @ 75 / 6 @ 95 / 6 @ 115 / 5+1 @ 125 / 2+1 @ 135 lbs / 6 @ 115 / 12 @ 95
Cage Stretch
Inclined Reverse DB Flyes: 15 @ 25 lbs / 12, 13, 15, 15 @ 30 lbs
Lateral DB Raises: 15 @ 20 lbs / 12 @ 25 / 12 @ 27.5 / 3 x 10 @ 30 lbs
Ab Crunch Station: 120
Torso Twist Machine: 2 x 25 @ 50 lbs
Mat Stretch (I wish the 20 second plank would get easier but it hasn't)

Is 50 the new 30?

Today is Friday but the week isn't over. Our weekend is already booked and I'm tired just thinking about it. My glutes and hamstrings are a little more sore than usual but it's not painful so I'm going to assume that Leg Day was a success. Yay! Today is Double Cardio Boxing Day. Yay! I get to the gym at my usual time and the parking lot is crowded, the locker room is crowded, the entire gym is crowded. But my Precor is free! Yay! The only thing that really bothers me during my cardio sessions are my hands, and sometimes my toes. Because I never seem to find a good spot to position my hands, the thumbs and adjacent flesh tends to get sore. I also realize that I have to consciously press my shoulders (traps) down because they're pulled tight due to the height of the handle on elliptical. I'm short and my elbows are raised in order to place my hands on the rail. I make my quota for both sessions and the only thing I can complain about is the tingling in my toes, but walking around sorts that out. I tally up my mileage and I've made over nine miles! Wow, that's so great! Yes, I'm floating on a cloud today.

I'm at the Cage about to stretch when someone starts talking to me so I pull out one earpiece. Sweat is running off my nose and I'm still wrapped in my tattered hoodie but at least I'm not raining in the Cage. It's the guy from a few weeks ago. But it's not the Slav. Wow, he looks a lot like the Slav, but he's shorter and younger. He asks if I want to spar him and I demur, not quite knowing what to say. He's got a vague New York - Jersey accent, maybe urban Italian. He mentions how his soccer coach would have to stretch his hamstrings and when he sees me he's jealous. His coach was female, which I find interesting, but I don't offer that I played rugby in younger days.

"My name is ______" and he proffers a hand. Reluctantly, I shake hands (got my lifting gloves on) and tell him my name. He gets it wrong at first because it's not a typical name but I correct him. Not sure why, since I doubt I'll ever speak to him again. "Are you into martial arts?" he asks, and I say "No, not really. I just do this for fun." He's trying to process this odd piece of information and then asks brightly, "So how old are you?" I look at him and say, "Older than you think." Perhaps he's intrigued because he responds with, "I'm 39." And I have to smile a little when I say, "Uh, I've got a few years on you." No need to completely freak him out. Still, he shrinks back a bit. It wasn't what he expected and he loses his composure. "Well, you look really great," he says, beating a hasty retreat. I shake my head a bit, finish my stretch and kicks, strip off my hoodie and proceed to wrap my hands.

I go 7 rounds on the Nexersys Avatar Follow Me, and an additional 3 rounds on Sparring. My power is really good this week so that makes me really happy. My accuracy is improving as well. The young man who was boxing here last week shows up at the adjacent station. He goes fewer rounds. When I finish the Mat Stretch, I see him lifting weights. I'm not sure I'd ever do boxing before weights but then again, I'm constantly sounding the Warning You Are Punching Too Hard buzzer.

The guys at my gym are just completely baffled. It's okay. I'm having a good time so that's all that matters. The gym scale reads 110.6 lbs. I seem to be getting denser, but at least there aren't any galaxies orbiting nearby.

Friday Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.54 miles + 35 min Interval 8 = 4.52 miles  Grand Total = 9.06 miles Wahoooo!

Cage Stretch, etc

Nexersys Avatar Follow Me, 7 rounds Beginner Female
 75% accuracy / 96% strikes / 129% avg power
Recommendation says that I'm outpacing and over powering my level so I should add rounds.
Dang, it only goes to 10 rounds.

Nexersys Avatar Sparring, 3 rounds Beginner Female
 185% strikes / 96% avg power / 931 points
Recommendation to go at least 5 rounds before progressing to the next level.

Mat Stretch (really hate that 20 second plank), etc

photos posted for stats:

I like to end my final rounds very strong.

I'm learning how to pace myself so I'm not completely spent by the last round.

This is my best point score to date.

Trying to Create Muscle Memory

I admit that this morning was harder than most school days because 1) we had to leave the house earlier for me to drive my son to school so he could join his classmates in an hour of extra gym class; 2) my son didn't fall asleep until midnight and so was hard to rouse; 3) my hubby has been very frisky this week so I didn't get to sleep until 1 a.m. I got to the gym almost an hour earlier than normal and was pleased at how vacant the parking lot was. The gym was noisy with the early morning crowd leaving for their jobs. I even got to pedal on my favorite elliptical. It's unseasonably warm at 60°F so doors to the gym were wide open. Today is Arm Day and I'm going to try to be as efficient as possible.

30 minutes plus 5 minute cool down on the Precor gives me a tad under four and a half miles. Sweat is dripping off my nose onto the Decline Bench which I'm trying to adjust. I even place the foam yoga block back under the foot of the bench to raise it up. But today I'm not as strong as I've been and I wonder if I've not fully recuperated from my 2-rep bench max on Monday. I do decline presses because I can't use the Dip station and today is Triceps and Biceps. The first few warm up sets are uneventful. Even 95 lbs feels easy. But there is trouble at 115 lbs.

My head seems stuck in an odd position (hair got caught which is odd because it's mostly short) and my bench movement is not as deep or smooth as it should be. I struggle a little with rep 11 and push for rep 12 when suddenly M grabs the bar and sets it on the stays. I just look at him without saying anything. He doesn't say anything either. I have a weird half smile on my face because I'm pretty sure I could've managed that last rep. He has a weird half smile too, but still neither of us says anything. He goes back to the squat rack. Trying to redeem himself for forgetting he agreed to spot me some months ago? He's supersetting Squats with Cable Rows or something. I take 5 minutes and decide that while he's out of sight, I need to get a set all by myself because if I don't need a spot but you grab the bar anyway, well, then I'm unsure as to whether I could handle it myself or not. And I hate it when the spot grabs the bar away from you, especially if he's not been asked to spot. Sigh.

I get a set at 115 lbs but it's not pretty. I can tell from seeing how the bar moves, how it feels. Well, time to drop the weight. I go for two more sets at lower weights. Then I wipe off the bench and relax at the Cage. When I return to the DB area, it's to do curls and skull crushers. The DB curls are standard boring alternate seated curls that don't hurt my elbows. However, I'm trying something new today for triceps. Having viewed a How-To video on a form of skull crushers by Mark Rippetoe, I decide that his reasoning seems sound, so WTH, let's give this a try. Rip Crushers or Skull Rippers are two of the most popular names for this movement.

He uses an EZ bar with plates held in place with a spring collar. I can't use those because my hands are so small that the last time I even tried to get one on a bar, I sprained my hand. Yep, sprained the part where the thumb attaches to the rest of the palm. Makes you fairly useless as you can't grip or hold anything until it heals up. So, I grab a light 30 lb BB and figure I'd get the form down first before seeing how much weight I can actually do. It's a bit tricky but I do like this two-part movement because I can feel the different muscle sections work. I stick with the 30 lb BB and knock out several 12-rep sets because I need to be comfortable with this before I can up the weight. My movement is exaggerated because I'm new at it and I know it doesn't quite look like the video, but Rippetoe is great at explaining how you "throw" the bar over your head in one motion.

Meanwhile, the Latino baseball player and his skinnier friend are trying hard not to be obvious in trying to get my attention. Sigh. First they asked me if I was using all the abandoned DBs someone left on a bench while I was the Decline Bench several yards away. Then they plopped themselves besides me while I was doing curls and triceps. I tend not to look at my neighbors when I'm on a bench. I moved my sodden hoodie a few times across the cardio railing because their gym bags full of product seem to overtake all the free space there. Finally they're done and they leave, or at least their gym bags are gone. I'm glad to swap the 30 lb bar for the 40 and plink a pair of magnets on it. I only do three sets of BB curls, return the magnets and do four sets of Reverse Grip BB Curls. Hmmm. Because I can get between 20-25 reps, perhaps it's time to up the weights on this movement as well.

I feel done, but I'm not because yes, alas, there's still abs to do. A hundred reps here and there and I finally feel a little fatigue. The gym has gotten crowded. While I'm on the Mat, I see M greet a cute gal with wild long brown hair. She has nice triceps and a cute butt. Most of the women here don't, so of course I take notice. She's all smiles with everyone, but quickly loses it when she sees me and I'm not even looking at her. I'm not sure why she reacts this way because we're not competing for anything that I'm aware of. I've never spoken to her. We're not even the same shape. She's got a toned girly figure, and I'm built like an athlete. Maybe it's the attitude. She's a flirty girl but she's probably in her late 30s or early 40s. Me, I've probably got that "You're in my way" 'tude. Or at least that's my take on it.

A convention forms at the edge of the Mat where I'm stretching, so I'm glad I have my iPod turned up full blast. Yes, I'm completely oblivious to everyone -- I really prefer to finish my routine without falling over because I've been distracted by conversation. Jude is on the Calf Press machine with his back to me, The Slav is doing Tricep Press Downs, Hoodie Tattoo and friends are kibitzing by the cable stations. At least some people work out here.

The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs which is a tad disconcerting, but my clothes still fit fine so I'm not worried. What I am worried about is regressing from my 2-rep Bench Press max. Monday is just around the corner. Sigh.

Arm Day Workout:
35 min Interval 7 = 4.47 miles Yay!

Decline Bench Press: 12 @ bar (45 lbs) / 10 @ 75 lbs / 10 @ 95 lbs / 2 x 10 @ 115 lbs / 12 @ 105 lbs / 12 @ 95 lbs

Cage Stretch

Alternating DB Curls (last 4 sets superset with Ripp Crushers): 12 @ 25 lbs / 10 @ 27.5 lbs / 3 x 8 @ 30 lbs / 12 @ 25 lbs
Ripp Crushers: 5 x 12 @ 30 lbs

BB Curl: 3 x 12 @ 45 lbs
Reverse Grip BB Curls: 20, 21, 21, 25 @ 40 lbs Time to up the weight?

Flat Bench Twisting Sit Ups: 150
Ab Crunch Station: 100
Lower Ab Knee-In Kick-Outs: 100

Mat Stretch (still hate the 20 second plank)